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For many early childhood educators, remote learning has deepened family partnerships and provided new opportunities for engagement. For some communities, morning circle time is now a whole family video conference pajama party – and it is the highlight of their day. Families are also reaching out to their teachers with concerns about their children’s educational…
Togetherness and Survival Twirls: Community Concerts in the Time of Coronavirus
An Interview with Wendy Cole
Wendy Cole is the Executive Director of the Maple Street School, a cooperative Preschool in Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn where she thrives on being a facilitator of culture and community. In addition to her work at Maple Street, Wendy leads the Leadership Initiative‘s Advancing Equity Learning Community with Fela Barclift of Little Sun People. Wendy reminds us…
A Resource for Family Journaling
With the implementation of remote learning due to COVID-19, many educational leaders are challenged with the task of running programs remotely while also taking into consideration the impact that this new normal has on children and families. The emotional health of children has always been a primary focus in our field as early care and…
Secondary Trauma in the Post-Pandemic Early Childcare Workforce
What I’ve recognized during this pandemic, and most of the world has applauded, is the courage and commitment from our front line workers. Front line workers such as gas station attendants, delivery truck drivers, child care professionals, grocery store workers, home health aides, babysitters, teachers, nurses, doctors, janitors and public transportation employees are essential to…
Preschool Poets
As we approach the end of National Poetry Month, I pause to reflect on what poetry has meant to me during this crisis. When the schools closed, my children’s principal, the inimitable Anna Allanbrook, sent home this letter mourning the loss of custodian Hank Friedland with the poem Keeping Quiet by Pablo Neruda. I shared…
How (Not) to Video-Conference with Five-Year-Olds
I teach five- and six-year-olds at a progressive independent school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. We’re a very child-focused school, and think a lot about what’s developmentally appropriate. I really appreciate this approach, which includes giving children ample outdoor time (about an hour a day), unstructured time in the classroom, and lots of hands-on activities,…
The Power of Family Stories
Where does formative assessment, the reflective practice of observing and supporting children’s development, fit into the context of remote learning? Educators may have new opportunities for family engagement – ones that could last when children return to the classroom. As the authentic assessment team at the Institute, our work involves supporting educators to build an…
Making Puppets Leads to Storytelling
Preschool children and their families gather with their teachers and sing “Good Morning,” a song that they know from morning meetings. The morning sun and their devices light their faces. Because they cannot be together in person, the teachers ask each child “how are you feeling?” by video conference call. These daily interactions with their…
Glenn Peters Puppet Shows – Connecting with Young Children
The COVID-19 crisis has brought up hard feelings for all of us – teachers, families and children. Early childhood educators know their role is supporting children’s ability to recognize and name their feelings. They also have new opportunities to empathize with families and help parents manage their own feelings about recent changes. Glenn Peters is…
Who’s Playing— With Puppets?
In the time of a global pandemic, early childhood educators are discovering how to be and play together while we are apart. Some of us are playing in the digital sandboxes of remote learning. Yet for many, teaching and learning at a distance feels contradictory to the foundation of early childhood education. We all have…
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